Reformate (Catalytic Reformer Aromatic Gasoline Blendstock) Storage — BTX-Rich High-Octane Aromatic Naphtha Tank Selection

Reformate (Catalytic Reformer Aromatic Gasoline Blendstock) Storage — BTX-Rich High-Octane Aromatic Naphtha Tank Selection at Refinery Reformer Product Pools and Aromatics-Complex Feed Storage

Reformate is the catalytic-reformer product blendstock at petroleum refineries: a high-octane gasoline blendstock and the principal feed to BTX (benzene-toluene-xylene) aromatics extraction units. The catalytic reformer (Honeywell UOP Continuous Catalyst Regeneration / CCR Platforming, Axens Octanizing / RG Series, Chevron Rheniforming, ExxonMobil Powerforming) takes naphtha feedstock (typically heavy naphtha boiling range 90-180°C from atmospheric crude distillation, optionally pretreated for sulfur removal at the naphtha hydrotreater) and converts the paraffins + naphthenes to aromatic compounds via a series of dehydrogenation, dehydrocyclization, isomerization, and hydrocracking reactions over a Pt-Re/Al₂O₃ or Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃ bifunctional catalyst at 480-540°C and 5-30 bar, generating hydrogen as a primary co-product (the largest single hydrogen source at most refineries today, supplying hydrotreating + hydrocracker + diesel hydrotreater + jet hydrotreater units).

Reformate physical properties: RON (Research Octane Number) 95-103 depending on reformer severity (Octane Severity 95 vs. 100 is the principal operating-mode lever); MON (Motor Octane Number) 84-92; RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) 4-5 psi; sulfur typically under 0.5 ppm post-reformer (the upstream naphtha hydrotreater ensures sulfur is well below catalyst-poisoning levels of 0.5 ppm); aromatics 60-75 wt% (typical breakdown: benzene 3-7 wt%, toluene 18-25 wt%, xylenes + ethylbenzene 18-25 wt%, C9+ aromatics 15-30 wt%); density 0.80-0.84 g/cm³; flash point under -10°C; pour point typically -50°C or lower; ASTM D86 distillation 50-205°C. The high benzene content (3-7%) drives the dominant downstream split: route reformate directly to gasoline blending (subject to MSAT2 + Tier 3 benzene caps) or send to BTX aromatics extraction to recover benzene + toluene + xylenes for petrochemical use (styrene, p-xylene / PET, polyurethane MDI/TDI, etc.).

The eight sections below cite Honeywell UOP (Continuous Catalyst Regeneration / CCR Platforming dominant U.S. licensor), Axens / IFP (Octanizing / RG Series), Chevron Lummus Global (Rheniforming + Aromax), ExxonMobil (Powerforming legacy + modern Powerformer), API 650, NFPA 30, NFPA 30A, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 PSM, EPA 40 CFR 60 Subpart Kb, 40 CFR 63 Subpart CC Petroleum Refinery MACT, EPA 40 CFR 80 RFG + Tier 3 + MSAT2 gasoline regulations, and operating refinery practice at Marathon, Phillips 66, Valero, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and CITGO U.S. refineries for reformate storage and tank selection.

1. Material Compatibility Matrix

Refinery reformate is a clean low-sulfur high-aromatic light hydrocarbon stream with significant solvating power on rubbers + selected polymers. The 60-75% aromatic content drives material selection vs. the cleaner alkylate (zero aromatics).

The dominant industrial pattern at U.S. refineries is API 650 carbon-steel atmospheric storage with welded floating-roof or internal-floating-roof (IFR) construction, primary + secondary peripheral seals, full epoxy-novolac internal floor coating, and 316L stainless trim at high-velocity blending headers + flow meters + custody-transfer measurement points. HDPE and FRP are never specified at refinery reformate or finished-gasoline blendstock storage.

2. Real-World Industrial Use Cases

Refinery Gasoline Blending Pool. Reformate is the largest single high-octane gasoline blendstock at most U.S. refineries with naphtha-reformer capacity, contributing 25-40% of the finished gasoline pool by volume. Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, Valero, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, CITGO, and HollyFrontier / HF Sinclair operate naphtha catalytic reformers feeding the gasoline pool. Reformate fills the high-octane + low-RVP corner of the gasoline blending property cube but with high aromatic + benzene content that requires careful management under MSAT2 (benzene cap 0.62 vol% annual average) and Tier 3 (sulfur cap 10 ppm) regulations.

BTX Aromatics Extraction Feedstock. Selected refineries with integrated aromatics complexes (ExxonMobil Baytown, Chevron Phillips Chemical Pasadena, Valero Three Rivers, Marathon Texas City, Reliance Jamnagar, SABIC Yanbu, Sinopec Maoming) route reformate to BTX aromatics extraction units (UOP Sulfolane, GTC Tetra solvent, Lurgi Morphylane, UDEX legacy DEG) to recover benzene + toluene + xylenes for petrochemical use. The extracted BTX feeds downstream styrene (benzene + ethylbenzene), para-xylene / PTA / PET (xylene isomerization + p-xylene crystallization or Eluxyl simulated-moving-bed adsorption), TDI / MDI polyurethane (toluene), and various solvent + chemical-intermediate markets.

Hydrogen Co-Production for Refinery Hydroprocessing. Catalytic reforming is the largest single hydrogen source at most U.S. refineries. Each barrel of reformate produced delivers 800-1500 standard cubic feet (SCF) of hydrogen co-product at 99% purity (after PSA / MEMSEP polishing). Refineries integrate the reformer hydrogen with naphtha hydrotreater + diesel hydrotreater + jet hydrotreater + hydrocracker + hydrogen-balance demand. Refineries without sufficient reformer hydrogen supply install a hydrogen plant (steam methane reformer, SMR; or autothermal reformer, ATR) to make up the balance.

Specialty Aromatic Solvent and Process Oil. Selected reformate cuts feed specialty aromatic solvent + petrochemical fractionators producing toluene (paint thinners, adhesive solvents, industrial reaction-medium), xylene (PET feedstock, alkyd resins, paint solvents), and C9+ aromatic solvents (paint thinners, ink solvents, asphalt cutter). Specialty solvent producers (ExxonMobil, Shell, Total Energies, Idemitsu, Chevron Phillips Chemical) source reformate-derived feedstocks for hydrotreating + fractionation to produce the various solvent grades.

Custody Transfer and Pipeline Movements. Reformate moves from producing refineries to gasoline blending terminals or aromatics extraction complexes via Colonial Pipeline, Magellan Midstream, Enterprise Products, and Plains All American product pipelines. Custody-transfer specifications include ASTM D86 distillation, ASTM D5191 RVP, ASTM D2622 sulfur, ASTM D2699 RON + ASTM D2700 MON octane, ASTM D5580 aromatics by GC, ASTM D3606 benzene + toluene by GC, and water + sediment via ASTM D4007.

3. Regulatory Hazard Communication

OSHA HazCom GHS Classification. Refinery reformate is classified as Flammable Liquid Category 1 or Category 2 (flash point well under 23°C; classification depends on cut). Hazard statements: H224 or H225 (flammable liquid and vapour), H304 May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways, H315 Causes skin irritation, H336 May cause drowsiness or dizziness, H350 May cause cancer (benzene content 3-7% drives Cat 1A carcinogenicity classification under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1028 Benzene; benzene OSHA PEL 1 ppm 8-hour TWA, Action Level 0.5 ppm), H361 Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child, H373 May cause damage to organs, H411 Toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.

NFPA 704 Diamond. Health 2, Flammability 4 (NFPA 30 Class IB Flammable Liquid; flash under 22.8°C, BP under 38°C-equivalent), Instability 0.

DOT and Shipping. Reformate is shipped under UN1268 Petroleum distillates, n.o.s. or Petroleum products, n.o.s. Hazard Class 3 Flammable Liquid Packing Group II per 49 CFR 173.121. Bulk shipment by tank truck (DOT 406 spec), rail tank car (DOT 111 / TC 117), pipeline, or marine vessel.

EPA Air Regulations. Reformate storage tanks are Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Vessels under 40 CFR Part 60 Subpart Kb NSPS (RVP 4-5 psi triggers control requirements when in conjunction with vapor pressure thresholds), with floating-roof or IFR construction with primary + secondary seals, or fixed-roof tank with vapor recovery. The Petroleum Refinery NESHAP at 40 CFR Part 63 Subpart CC additionally requires LDAR and rim-seal monitoring at reformate storage tanks. Benzene-bearing streams trigger 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart FF (Benzene Waste Operations NESHAP) where applicable.

EPA Gasoline Specifications. Reformate as a finished gasoline blendstock falls under EPA gasoline regulations at 40 CFR Part 80: Tier 3 sulfur cap 10 ppm annual average + 95 ppm per-gallon cap, MSAT2 benzene cap 0.62 vol% annual average for refiners (refinery-by-refinery averaging) and overall refinery group caps. Reformate's high benzene content (3-7%) drives refinery decisions on whether to debenzenize reformate (benzene saturation hydrotreater or benzene-to-alkylate alkylation) or to dilute with low-aromatic blendstocks (alkylate, raffinate, hydrocrackate).

OSHA Process Safety Management. The catalytic reformer + naphtha hydrotreater units are covered under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 PSM because of hydrogen + light-end LPG inventory, high-temperature + high-pressure operating conditions, and benzene-bearing reformate inventory. Reformate storage at the refinery tank farm is generally covered under the broader refinery PSM scope.

Benzene Carcinogen Hazard. Benzene 3-7% in reformate drives OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1028 Benzene Standard occupational exposure controls: PEL 1 ppm 8-hour TWA, STEL 5 ppm 15-minute average, Action Level 0.5 ppm. Reformate sample-draw + valve operation + tank-cleaning operations that may expose workers above the Action Level require regulated areas, exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and respiratory protection per the standard.

4. Storage System Specification

Refinery Reformate Storage. Reformate is stored at refinery tank farms in API 650 atmospheric carbon-steel tanks with welded floating-roof (external) or internal-floating-roof (IFR) construction, primary + secondary peripheral seals, full epoxy-novolac internal coating, and 316L stainless trim at high-velocity blending headers + flow meters. Typical tank size 50,000-300,000 barrels (8,000-50,000 m³); tank diameter 100-250 ft; height 40-60 ft. The IFR retrofit pattern with aluminum-honeycomb deck panels and dual peripheral seals is the modernization standard.

Aromatics Complex Feed Storage. Aromatics complex tank farms maintain reformate feed storage of 50,000-200,000 barrels (8,000-32,000 m³) at the BTX extraction unit feed-pool, plus separate benzene + toluene + xylene + C9+ aromatic product storage at downstream fractionator outlets. Feed flow control and feed composition analysis (online GC) maintain BTX extraction unit operating conditions.

Vapor Recovery and Loading. Truck and rail loading racks at the refinery for reformate are equipped with bottom-loading vapor balance, vapor-recovery to thermal oxidizer or carbon-bed adsorber with 95-99% destruction efficiency, and grounding + bonding per API RP 2003. Marine loading at refinery dock berths uses MVRU per USCG 33 CFR 154 Subpart E.

Tank-Bottom Water Drainage. Reformate has very low water solubility (under 200 ppm at typical storage temperatures), so water settles to the tank bottom. Refinery operating practice drains tank-bottom water on a scheduled cadence (typically weekly) to a slop oil + water sump.

Refinery-Adjacent OneSource Service. Aqueous service points around the catalytic reformer + reformate tank farm + aromatics complex where rotomolded HDPE day-tanks are appropriate include caustic-wash makeup at the catalytic reformer + naphtha hydrotreater amine-treater (50% NaOH carbon-steel main; HDPE day-tank dilute neutralization), demineralized water makeup, glycol heat-transfer makeup, water-treatment polymer feed, sulfolane / NMP solvent makeup at the BTX extraction (where applicable; sulfolane and NMP are highly compatible with HDPE at ambient conditions), and emergency-spill containment retention.

5. Field Handling Reality

Operator PPE. Refinery operators handling reformate sample draw, blending-header valve operation, custody-transfer flow-meter inspection, and tank-roof maintenance require Nomex or comparable FRC per API RP 2030 + OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269; chemical splash safety glasses + face shield at sample-port and valve operation; nitrile or Viton gloves rated for hydrocarbon contact; benzene-aware respiratory protection (full-face APR with organic-vapor cartridge or supplied-air respirator) at sample-draw + tank-cleaning + confined-space entry where benzene exposure could exceed 0.5 ppm Action Level; static-dissipative footwear and grounding wrist-strap at flammable-liquid sample-draw.

Fire and Explosion Hazard. Reformate at flash point under -10°C is among the most ignitable liquids on the refinery; vapor ignition energies under 0.30 mJ make static-discharge ignition the dominant mechanism in tank-roof, sample-draw, loading-rack, and small-vessel operations. NFPA 77 Recommended Practice on Static Electricity, API RP 2003, and refinery-specific bonding + grounding programs are mandatory. LFL approximately 1.0-1.4 vol%; UFL approximately 7-8 vol%.

Benzene Exposure Control. Reformate's 3-7% benzene content drives OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1028 Benzene Standard compliance at all sample-draw, valve operation, tank-roof, and tank-cleaning operations. Refinery exposure monitoring program tracks 8-hour TWA + 15-minute STEL benzene exposures at routine + non-routine work tasks; medical surveillance program covers refinery operators with potential exposure above the Action Level of 0.5 ppm. PPE selection includes nitrile or Viton gloves rated for benzene + supplied-air respirator at confined-space entry + emergency response.

Spill Response. Reformate spill response: (1) evacuate area + activate refinery emergency response + isolate ignition sources, (2) PPE-equipped responders deploy AFFF or fluorine-free F3 alternative foam blanket to suppress flammable vapor + benzene release, (3) recover liquid via vacuum truck to slop oil tank, (4) decontaminate concrete and gravel surfaces with absorbent (vermiculite, oil-only sorbent pads), (5) document spill volume + report under EPA NRC + state environmental agency reporting + CERCLA Section 103 (benzene RQ 10 lb under CERCLA Section 103) + CWA Section 311 reportable quantities.

Tank Maintenance and Confined-Space Entry. Reformate storage tank inspection per API 653; internal entry requires confined-space permit under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 + benzene-specific hazardous atmosphere protocols + supplied-air respirator + standby attendant. Tank-cleaning contractors handle slurry and sludge removal under benzene-aware scope of work.

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